For all its well-earned acclaimed as Houston's top dining neighborhood, Montrose — home to both cutting edge cuisine thanks to places like Underbelly and Pax Americana as well as more casual options like Paulie's and The Burger Joint (etc., etc., etc.) — lacks a legitimate, Central Texas-style barbecue joint. Thankfully, that situation will improve considerably next week.
Brookstreet Bar-B-Que owner Jamil Musa and his partner Lutfi Rukab will open the eagerly anticipated Montrose location of their popular local mini-chain on June 22. Located in a gorgeous limestone home on Montrose Boulevard just north of Westheimer, the intimate, 1,000-square foot space has only limited interior seating, but the restaurant has added an outdoor deck for additional seating and a drive-thru line to serve to-go customers.
Pitmaster Farris Dabis will serve all the staples of Texas barbecue, including beef brisket, pork ribs, and two kinds of sausage (regular and jalapeno), as well as pulled pork. Beef ribs will be available on Saturdays, and wagyu briskets may pop-up as an occasional special. Sandwiches will be served on Slow Dough's split-top challah hot dog buns.
Musa has opted to take a purist's approach to sides by forgoing a fryer (sorry french fry fans) and sticking to potato salad, coleslaw and beans. Unlike some Brookstreet eateries, the Montrose location will not offer hamburgers.
Dabis tells CultureMap that he spent "a few months" working at Austin's James Beard Award-winning Franklin Barbecue in 2014 and has been honing his skills cooking for friends and family ever since. Although he acknowledges that it's a "huge jump" to move from the offset smokers used at Franklin to the Southern Pride rotisserie at Brookstreet, Dabis says he's happy with the results he's seen so far.
"I've been very impressed with the way it cooks. It makes good smoke and holds a steady temperature," he says.
While the picture above certainly testifies to Dabis's skill, diners will get to decide for themselves when the restaurant opens — just in time for Pride weekend.
A full selection of meat and sides.
